True & Daring Riesling~ Hennie Bosman's Passion

Hennie Bosman at the Oyster Bar in Manhattan recently

Hennie Bosman is one of a kind. He grew up in South Africa, played rugby and became a diplomat for the South African Government. But he admits he “Hates politics with an absolute passion”. He began making one wine and only one wine,a riesling he calls "True and Daring", in a region known for crisp and citrusy sauvignon blancs and fruity pinot noirs. And he pays his grape growers more money to produce less fruit. He remains “True” to his riesling passion and “Daring” to maintain this single minded focus. He admitted with a grin, “Maybe this isn't 'Daring'. Maybe it's Mad.”

While living in South Africa, post apartheid, he and his wife Celia were getting ready for a change. When their kids were born they decided it was time to try another venture. Friends of theirs had gotten into the winery business and this was an attractive idea. But where? How?

Together they researched locations they could afford and places they would like to live and to raise the family. New Zealand came into focus for them. A good business plan might have been to buy an existing winery, make sauvignon blanc and pinot noir to pay the bills, and tinker around with the riesling until they had a following. But Hennie was determined to make the finest expression of the riesling grape he loved. They bought Sandihurst winery in 2005 including the 2004 inventory and immediately looked for top quality riesling growers for the fruit they would need.

The goal was to produce a limited production, super premium riesling. But there exists an inherent grower/vintner conflict. The grape growers want as much fruit as possible per acre because it's typically sold by weight or volume. But the winery owner wants to limit the production per acre because less fruit per vine means more saturated flavors. Hennie found a solution to this dilemma. Hennie pays the growers a predetermined cost per vine, and oversees pruning techniques to reduce fruit clusters. The grape growers love it. They say, or at least think, (in a Geico gecko accent), “This is fantastic! We get paid more money for doing less work.” Normal grape production is about ten tons of fruit per hectare. Hennie's 25 acres intentionally produce only four tons per hectare. His annual production is only 26,000 bottles, which puts True & Daring Riesling in the micro boutique winery arena.

Hennie was in the US recently where his 2007 riesling was tasted blind alongside other noteworthy rieslings from other regions. Teams of sommeliers on both coasts came away with very favorable impressions of True and Daring. I met him at the Oyster Bar Restaurant at Grand Central Station for a sit down tasting of his 2007 vintage. And it was wonderful. He uses no oak, only stainless steel fermentation and bottle aging. The wine is crisp with floral and lemony citrus notes. He looked at me and said, rightfully so, “Nothing here is out of harmony. If it's not good with food, it misses its purpose in life.” True & Daring Riesling retails for around $40. It is age worthy as a quality riesling should be. On the back of the bottle is an international riesling sweetness scale, and this wine is placed between Medium Dry and Dry, slightly closer to Dry. And Hennie told me, “This isn't some tax write off or gentleman farmer's hobby. This is the life we have chosen and we need to make this work.” Dare to try it. Help out the Bosman family. The world needs more producers like this.

Frescobaldi wines~ Fresh and Bold

Leonardo Frescobaldi at A Voce Madison in Manhattan recently

The Frescobaldi name has long been associated with quality Tuscan wine production. Leonardo Frescobaldi is a member of the 29^th generation of this venerable wine producing family dating back over 700 years in this endeavor. The next generation is firmly in place and is being groomed for a seamless transition at some point. I met with Leonardo over lunch at A Voce-Madison restaurant in Manhattan in October to taste a few of his wines and learn about Frescobaldi.

Frescobaldi wines can be found in 86 countries. It is a family owned company made of nine distinct estates accumulated over the generations, totaling over 1,100 hectares or 2,700 acres. This is huge production. In the 1960's Vittorio Frescobaldi began searching for estates (tenuta in Italian) that offered the best grape growing terroir to start the wine making process with the very best fruit. Leonardo told me “We respect the fruitiness and delicateness of the grapes.”

We started with a 2007 Nipozzano, Old Riserva made mostly of the Sangiovese grape and aged in used oak barrels. Wild fruit flavors of blackberry, raspberry and cherry with a back beat of vanilla and cinnamon. At $20 retail, you can't go wrong.

Our next wine was the $24 Tenuta di Castiglione from 2008. This is the oldest property of the family and was comprised of 50% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, 10% sangiovese and 10% cabernet franc. It showed bright cherry notes, big unrestrained aromatics with a touch of plum and licorice.

Following this we tasted the more serious CastelGiocondo, vintage 2005. As a brunello it is 100% sangiovese, with 3 years in oak and another year in the bottle prior to release. Red and black cherry emerged with a backbone of earthiness and big aromatics. This wine retails for $55 and drinks beautifully. With some time in the glass, vanilla and tobacco aromas and flavors eventually complement the delicious fruit.

Our final wine of the day was the 2007 Mormoreto, the signature wine of Frescobaldi and the 25^th vintage of this particular wine. Made of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot, 12% cabernet franc and 3% petit verdot and retailing in the $65 to $70 range, this is a special occasion wine that will age for many years. This wine showed big red cherry and black pepper flavors with explosive aromatics. It is full bodied, dense, rich. Leonardo told me, “This wine has a long life. Our 1985 vintage is still a baby.”

Italian wine labels can be confusing so look for the band aid sized “Marchesi de Frescobaldi” label under the main label. As lunch was winding down, my final question to Leonardo Frescobaldi was “What does 'Frescobaldi' mean in Italian?” “Fresh and Bold,” was his response. I said, “And that's just perfect. All these wines are exactly that!”

Cloudy Bay Winery~Fresh and Lively Wines

~Sarah Burton, Cloudy Bay Winemaker in Manhattan recently~

This past Thursday I was invited to an “Experiential Dinner” in Manhattan to meet Cloudy Bay Winery winemaker, Sarah Burton, and to taste through some brand new, just released 2011 wines and some previously released oak aged wines. Southern hemisphere wines of each vintage are released six months earlier than northern hemisphere wines because the seasons are reversed. The address on the invitation was “Elizabeth Street Garden @ 209 Elizabeth Street” I looked up this restaurant in some books and I couldn't find that it existed. I arrived early and found preparations being made for an outdoor garden dinner. Crews were stringing lights and constructing a 30 foot long spruce table and benches complete with a table length herb garden as a center piece. A kitchen was established in one corner of the garden where the culinary staff was at work creating a multi-course magical meal under the stars. This event was envisioned and implemented by Gregory White marketing and PR company. Simply unforgettable! There is a high wrought iron fence enclosing the garden, as there are sculptures and plants that might create a Manhattan temptation. As we tasted and talked, I looked at the gated entrance where there was frequently a small group of curious observers. It was sort of a public zoo for wine writers, giving New Yorkers a glimpse into the glamour side of journalism.

Sarah Burton has been the winemaker of Cloudy Bay Vineyards in Malborough, New Zealand for two years now after working in wineries in Tuscany, Bordeaux, Portugal and Oregon. As appetizers were being passed around we tasted Cloudy Bay's 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, their brand new release. It had puckery tart grapefruit flavors with a fresh, creamy texture and an herbaceousness followed by a crisp acidic finish. Retailing at $25 US this is worth owning.

Next we tried their 2006 Te Koko made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes from the exact same vineyard. The fruit is allowed to ripen a bit longer on the vine before harvest. It is 100% barrel fermented with 100% wild yeast. It rests for 18 months in oak barrels. The wine had obvious oak characteristics tempered by orange blossom flavors with a minerality and elegant texture. Sarah loves the way this is drinking now but told me it will improve and age gracefully for ten years At $55 US this wine is not inexpensive. But for that special occasion it is well worth the price. Simply delicious!

Next we tried the Cloudy Bay 2007 Chardonnay. The fruit is all hand picked, wild fermented and oak aged. This wine showed delicious minerality, typical of the Marlborough region, with a texture that produced a lingering finish.

The Cloudy Bay 2009 Pinot Noir is also a brand new release and is their biggest seller, accounting for 70% of their total production. It tasted fresh and fruity, with raspberry and strawberry flavors. This wine is produced by blending wines made from plots, each creating unique flavors. Sarah told me, with a gleam in her eye, “Being a wine maker is a little like being a mad scientist. I like to blend plots of grapes, some being spicy, others fruity, to achieve a complex goal”. Sarah and Cloudy Bay people won't tell what their annual production is. “We're small”.

At dessert, we tried the Cloudy Bay 2010 Riesling, which is only available in the New York metropolitan market. At 10.5% alcohol, it is a great afternoon/apertif wine. It showed crisp refreshing lemon flavors, slight hints of finely ground white pepper with a wonderfully balanced finished. I experienced a slight micro-effervescence which seemed to keep this riesling playful and fun.

Cloudy Bay Winery celebrated their 25^th anniversary in late 2010. The wines are well made, nuanced, structured, with many flavors emerging. If you find yourself in a wine bar, taste through a few of their styles and vintages. Make a list of your preferences and pick up a few bottles for your home. Being a small production winery, Cloudy Bay typically sells out of each wine they make. “Step right up. Get it while you can.”

~The Kingdom of Navarra, Spain. Kingly Wines~

Javier Banales, general manager of Bodega Otazu in Navarra, Spain

So what do you know about “The Kingdom of Navarra”? I admit I knew next to nothing until I went to a wine tasting in Manhattan a few months ago, where we tasted a dazzling variety of Navarran wine styles. We danced with Navarran dancers moving to live, rustic Navarran music (as a journalist I observed) and I climbed aboard a “Running of the Bulls” simulator with a virtual reality headset. I started strong but then got (virtually) gored repeatedly. I wondered why they called it a“Kingdom” (delusions of grandeur?) and I wondered about this Pilgrimage I was hearing about. Then I travelled to Spain and learned a few things.

First of all the wines are worthy, some exceptionally so, and are priced very attractively for those of us on a wine budget. We spent four days touring the Kingdom of Navarra, visiting wineries and vineyards, meeting winemakers, tasting through their assortments of styles, quality levels and vintages, and visiting some very old cultural attractions of the area. The following cliff note version of the area is key to understanding Navarra.

The Kingdom of Navarra was an independent state until the 16^th century, complete with its own king and queen, in their own castle. Originally the kingdom spanned the Pyrennees mountains into France. The exact borders have pulsed and morphed in different directions over the years. It is located in Northeast Spain bordering France. The invading Moors, originally from North Africa and eventually becoming Muslim, populated and essentially took over most of the Iberian peninsula, now modern day Spain. The Christian influence in the area was waning. Archbishop Diego Gelmirez (1100-1140 CE) had heard about a religious and archeological discovery a couple of centuries prior. In the middle of the ninth century a local bishop had authenticated, on the western coast of Spain, the tomb of St. James, one of the original 12 disciples of Jesus. Jerusalem (Tomb of Jesus and others) and Rome (Tomb of Peter and Paul) had become famous Christian pilgrimage routes, essentially a way into heaven for believers. The Archbishop had to rally masses to offset the waning Christian influences in France, Spain and other parts of Europe. He declared the pilgrimage to Santiago, where the tomb of St. James was found, to be as important and vital as a pilgrimage to Jerusalem or Rome. And the area was transformed.

Churches, hospitals and hostels (and podiatry centers!) were built, roads were improved, bridges and ferries were built or developed. Upwards of 50,000 European Christian pilgrims would make the trip annually. In the mid 12^th century, Christian monks were some of the few people who could read. They were educated. Monks needed wine for their religious masses and blessings. They planted the Navarra region extensively, with almost as many varietals as vineyards. This pilgrim trail has many starting points. Two of the trails begin in France, one crossing Burgundy, the other Bordeaux. They merge in Pamplona, currently the geographic and cultural center of Navarra. Another route passing through Aragon merges with the others at Puente la Reina, or the Queen's Bridge, a beautiful span built in the Romanesque style over the river Arga. Things were going great for the Christians until the bubonic plague hit. The Black death of the 14^th century hit Europe with a vengeance killing upwards of 75 million people. Pilgrims began their pilgrimage but often didn't finish or return. This plague essentially put an end to the pilgim route for centuries until the 1980's when Pope John Paul re-promoted the route and its relevance to a good Christian life, and the Christian trail was Born Again. Today, once again, 50,000 pilgrims make the journey annually, many on foot which takes months, many on bikes which takes 6-10 days and many by car, which can be done in one long day for the time-challenged or time-obsessed pilgrim.

In the late 1800's there were 50,000 hectares (123,500 acres) of grape vines planted in Navarra. The “plague of the vine”, the Phylloxera louse, struck Europe, killing vines all over France. French vintners started planting their vines in Spain, in the safe zone beyond the Pyrenees mountains. Phylloxera was then introduced in Navarra, decimating and eliminating 80 different varieties of indigenous and introduced grapes. By 1905 only 700 hectares (1729 acres) remained. Phylloxera will attack and kill every variety of vine. The area had to be replanted with resistant American rootstock. Garnacha (Grenache in France), Tempranillo and Graciano y Mazuelo became the favored indigenous vines for replanted reds. They also planted the noble varietals Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Syrah. Viura and Moscatel de Grano Menuda were replanted for white wine production and they added Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Today, Navarra produces 6.5 million cases of wine, the majority (70%) of which are red. Rosés account for 25% of total production, whites weigh in at 5% of production and sweet whites (delicious!) account for 0.3%.

In Navarra, the hot days tempered by cool nights, with three distinctly different temperate influences, provide an ideal area for a big variety of wine styles. The Atlantic influence from the north, the Mediterranean influence from the south and east, and the continental influence to the north and east, each gives the grape growers from the five distinctly different growing regions in Navarra their own uniqueness.

Now about the wines. I love the Spanish system of allowing the different qualitative designations to be found on the label. In some countries, a “reserve” or a “grand reserve” wine essentially means it is the best that a particular producer can make; their best effort. In Spain, to say the wine is “oak aged” means it must spend at least three months in the barrel. To receive the Crianza designation red wines must be aged for at least two years, at least nine months in the barrel. Whites must remain in oak for at least six months. For the next level, Reserva, red wines must be aged a minimum of three years with at least one year in oak. For whites and rosés the Reserva status indicates two years of aging with at least a half year in oak. And red Gran Reservas must be aged a minimum of five years with at least 18 months in barrels. Whites and rosés must be four years old with at least six months of oak influence. These designations guarantee certain levels of financial commitment by the winemaker, which will produce a finer wine. In Navarra, all of these designations are in place. Additionally, to receive the Designation of Origin (DO) label they must undergo a blind jury tasting conducted by winemakers and sommeliers of the region and they must receive at least a 73 out of 100 points. This is a guarantee of quality for the level (think “price”) of wine. A Pago designation indicates the vineyard and winery have proven to have such a high quality of fruit and production that normal rules don't apply. The winemaker is free to produce wines to create the best expression of the fruit. Arinzano winery is the only Pago designation in Navarra.

The wines of Navarra are very good. The rosés are crafted using the saignée, or bleeding off, method. The grapes, typically garnacha, merlot, cabernet sauvignon or tempranillo.are crushed and allowed 8 to 25 hours with the skins which imparts color and flavor to the juice. It is then fermented but there is no pressing off of the juice. The juice is collected and stainless steel tank and/or oak aged. Blending reds and whites is not permitted. Most rosés worldwide are consumed very young. Navarran rosés will last and the better ones will age beautifully. We tasted a Chivite Rosado from Arinzano's 2006, Collecion 125. We were greeted by fresh strawberry and peach flavors with soft pink grapefruit tempered by a hint of white pepper. Chivite's Gran Feudo line, with a rosado, a chardonnay, a crianza and a gran reserva, all retailing from between $12 and $15, is a “can't miss” bargain. Otazu's (don't miss this producer) 2010 Rosado showed bright strawberry notes with a micro effervescense and a fresh fruit explosion, perfect for late summer afternoons with friends. Ochoa Winery is making beautiful and very affordable wines, with Adriana Ochoa taking the winemaking reins from her dad, with plans to continue to improve their quality.

The DO designation of crianza, reserva or gran reserva makes it simple to find your quality of wine within your budget. The entire region is marketing value wines at many price levels that provide a great price to value experience. The whites are fresh, citrusy, elegant and delicious. All the reds we tasted above the entry level wines were structured with a good backbone of tannins and a brilliant balance of fruit and spice, suggesting high quality wine making and wines of ageworthiness. Next time you're picking out a wine, make a pilgrimage to the Spanish section of your store, look for the Navarra seal, with the red wine swooshy logo. Pick up a few from different price points and taste them with your friends. And reflect for a moment on all the history and culture and experience that goes into each bottle. Cook up a few simple tapas style dishes to go with the wine. And that is all you need!

Gerard Bertrand~Premium Languedoc Producer

~Winemaker Gerard Bertrand at Per Se with NY writer Mort Hochstein and a very special bottle, both circa 1929~

My love of food and wine began in 1976 when I talked my way into a waiter's job (with no experience) at a French restaurant on Nantucket Island called Le Languedoc, which is still there and thriving. I lived in a house with chefs, bartenders and waiters and we tried wines and food that I had not yet even imagined. This was before California was taken seriously as a wine production region, and before Argentina and Chile were on any wine drinker's radar screen. Even within France, the serious wines all came from Burgundy, Bordeaux and the Rhone valley. Lesser wines came from Alsace and the Loire valley, while wines from the Languedoc region were considered uninteresting and the bargain hunter's choice.

So much has happened in the last 35 years in the wine industry. Science and information sharing, planting proper grape varietals for the unique terroir of each location, advanced wine making techniques and improved mechanical infrastructure, such as proper temperature controls in the winery, have all contributed to making today a wine lover's paradise. In short, now is the best time in history for a lover of wine to be alive.

I met Gerard Bertrand, winemaker and owner of six estates in the Languedoc region in southern France, on May 10^th at Per Se restaurant in Manhattan. Gerard is the son of winemaker Georges Bertrand, who bought up some land upon which to begin planting vines. Gerard, now 46 years old, grew up in the vineyard and his father nurtured and instilled in him the love of the land and love of the grape from an early age. In 1975, at ten years old, Gerard helped with the harvest and the winemaking. He was hooked. Georges actively cultivated in Gerard some principles of the industry. He told young Gerard, “When you plant a vine, it is for your children”. And “We are very much aware that we are only the guardians of our land for future generations”. These concepts have helped to establish Gerard Bertrand wines as a responsible company dedicated to playing an active role in raising ecological awareness in the South of France. To that end, their production is biodynamic and/or organic, earning vineyard certifications in both categories. Gerard considers himself an Ambassador of the Mediterranean lifestyle and has helped to develop the tourism industry within the region by acquiring Chateau l'Hospitalet vineyards which has an inn dating back to 1561. He also sponsors an annual jazz festival of world wide fame, in the first weekend in August.

Gerard is a smart and savvy business man and has added existing wine estates over the years. He currently owns six estates, with over 880 acres dedicated to vines. For perspective, that is enough land currently under vine for five golf courses. The Languedoc-Rousillon region is the world's largest wine producing region with 2800 producers putting over two billion bottles into the marketplace. Gerard Bertrand wines can be found in 65 countries.

Per Se assembled a menu around the wines and we tasted three wines with each of the first three courses. A delicious and ethereal herb roasted halibut was served with a 2010 Viognier. At $14 retail it is a true value wine with crisp lemon notes and lively perfumy essence. A 2009 Cigalus white blend ($60) showed honey, vanilla, citrus with a mineral freshness. And the Aigle Royal, Limoux 2009 was light to medium bodied with fresh citrus notes with hints of ground white pepper. This wine is expensive but is especially worthy for a noteworthy occasion.

Our next course of Rib eye beef with potato confit, spinach, mushrooms and onions impressed everyone. I was served an outstanding ravioli dish with beans and herbs and a mushroom based sauce that was wonderful. The red wines were big and up to the challenge. The Corbieres 2009 grenache/syrah/mourvedre blend showed bright cherry fruitiness structured with leather flavors. It softened considerably with time in the glass. The medium bodied Grand Terroir, Pic Saint Loop 2009 was earthy with dark fruit flavors, notably blackberry. And my favorite wine of this course was the Chateau L'Hospitalet Reserve rouge 2009. This wine was medium to full bodied, with notes of dark cherry and black pepper. I found myself repeatedly returning to this complex wine.

Three more wines accompanied Per Se's salad course. La Forge, Corbieres from 2008 was full bodied, complex with blackberry and licorice and very smooth. Le Viala, Minervois La Liviniere from 2007 exhibited dark cherry, earthy with balanced leather. And my favorite from this flight was the 2008 L'Hospitalitas, Coteaux du Languedoc La Clape. Full bodied, dried currants, licorice, complex...simply delicious! Keep in mind these red wines are all relatively young and will age beautifully for some time. Patience will be rewarded.

Next, for dessert, a chocolate mousse accompanied with a whiskey puree and almond ice cream was paired with something VERY special! Gerard brought a 1929 Legend Vintage Maury wine. This wine spent 70 years(!!) in oak casks. It had a port like flavor with pronounced caramel with a lingering finish. Gerard called this wine “The Soul of the south of France”

I asked for one of the empty 1929 Maury Legend Vintage bottles as a souvenir. You see, in all my wine tasting experience, I have never tasted a wine older than I am. I once came very close with a 1958 Barolo. I asked Gerard if he would sign the bottle for me. He wrote, “ A legend in your memory,” clearly a reference to his father whom he knows launched the brand and helped launch him to where he is today. And as I tasted this perfectly preserved and complex wine, I realized it was from the birth year of my father, who also had a profound effect on where I am today. With Father's Day just around the corner, an early toast may be in order. Cheers to our Dads! Georges and George!

Franciacorta's Here~Move over Champagne

Riccardo Ricci Curbastro at his winery in Franciacorta

So you're in the mood for celebrating and you want to impress your local wine purveyor or restaurant sommelier. Ask for a sparkling bottle of Franciacorta. And pronounce it “Franch'-i-a-cort'-a.” Chances are real good you will see a big question mark appear in the cartoon balloon over his head. I just returned from a trip to Franciacorta, Italy where I tasted many of the sparkling wines they produce. I was accompanied by two other US journalists, each of whom have long careers in wine and food writing, and none of us had ever heard of Franciacorta.

Franciacorta is a term that defines the territory, the method of production and the wine. The area produces still (non-sparkling) whites and reds but they have fully embraced the methode champenoise for this sparkling and delicious wine. The Franciacorta Consortium, founded in 1990, has instituted some of the most rigorous rules for all aspects of production, from grapes used, allowable harvest maximums in tons per hectare, aging times and peer-juried taste tests, in order to receive the annual governmental tag. Three grapes are allowed in the Franciacorta sparkling wines; chardonnay, pinot blanc and pinot noir, known locally as pinot nero. There are several Franciacorta flavor profiles determined by grapes used, percentage of grape types used in the final blend, aging times and amount of sugar added (as they do in Champagne) to secondarily ferment the wine in the bottle to create its lively effervescence.

The first sparkling wine in Franciacorta was made in 1961 by a wine maker named Franco Ziliani while working for a producer named Berlucci. After a couple of attempts he got it right and by 1967 the area was being recognized as a sparkling wine region. I met with Riccardo Ricci Curbastro, former president of the Franciacorta Consortium and current president of the European Federation of Origin Wines. His father, Gualberto, was one of the original eleven members of the Franciacorta denomination in 1967 when the area had just 29 hectares under vine. A hectare is just under 2.5 acres. Today Franciacorta has 2800 hectares and produces ten million bottles a year under 104 sparkling producers. Eighty percent of those are sold in Italy which partly explains the scarcity and near complete ignorance of this wine outside of Italy.

Franciacorta is a beautiful area, in the Lombardy region, an hour and a half by car east of Milan. It is at the southern tip of Lake Iseo, a twenty mile long S-shaped lake that leads from low lying farmland and the foothills directly into the Italian Alps. The glacial impact on the area is obvious with vertical scarring striations very apparent and visible in the nearby mountains. But the glacial effects in the soil have a profound impact on the wines. They impart, infuse, if you will, a minerality, a complexity that gives Franciacorta wines their distinct flavors. Add to that the hot air from the plains during the day, balanced by the cold air spilling down from the mountains at night and you get the brilliant Franciacorta taste profile, character and personality.

We tasted through Riccardo Ricci Curbastro's sparkling wines and they are worthy. The family has been stewards/owners of the land since the 12^th century and currently have 27.5 hectares planted, which supports production of 200,000 bottles a year. They have installed many solar panels that produces literally all of their energy needs, clearly branding them as environmentally “green”. The Franciacorta flavor profiles range from Undosed (no sugar added), to Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry, Dry (sec), Demi Sec, Satèn, Rosé. And then there are bottle aging times that increases complexity, flavors, and, oh yeah, price.

All of the Ricci Curbastro sparkling wines have good structure. They are all well balanced and each have their unique flavor range. The Ricci Curbastro Brut is a blend of the three allowed grapes. It is dry, fresh, lemony with yeasty notes and hints of oak. The Satèn Brut 2006 uses chardonnay and pinot blanc and it is silky, velvety and round. Their 2008 Satèn exudes a soft oakiness with balanced citrus, notably lemon. The 2006 Extra Brut is dry, lemony, with a gripping tartness with an honest rusticity. And the 2002 Extra Brut is dry with a pleasant earthiness.

In a range of $30 to $50 these wines are not cheap. Prosecco can be made in five to seven months by the much quicker Charmat method of secondary tank fermentation. When I drink Prosecco, I lose interest well before the bottle is done. The minimum time required to make Franciacorta wines with the governmental seal is 18 months for the non vintage wine. Non vintage Rosé and Satèn requires a minimum of 24 months. The vintage Franciacorta needs 30 months of aging and the Franciacorta Riserva needs a full five years but many producers age them longer until its flavor has reached their goal.

On the governmental seal there is a coded number. You can visit http://www.franciacorta.net/ and type in this number and you can find the producer's name, the wine type, the number of bottles in the batch, the product profile of this wine including alcohol content, acidity and bottle pressure, as well as the producer's email address and website. The Consortium is demanding excellence, integrity and an accountability from its producers. Franciacorta is here to stay and will be promoting and increasing its market presence in the US. You owe to yourself and to your wine friends to pick up a bottle or two. Franciacorta will be celebrating its 50^th birthday in 2011 and will easily stand up to champagnes at most every price point. Expand your horizons and give an Italian farmer a chance to compete on the world stage of sparkling wines.

Roy Estate~Prestigious California Producer

Shirley Roy of Roy Estates with her two wines in Manhattan recently

Charles and Shirley Roy came to winery ownership later in life. Both of them grew up on the east coast, with careers in engineering and accounting. They developed and sold some executive suite businesses in New Jersey and Virginia, then decided to reinvent themselves after several trips to Napa Valley. Together they decided to search for and buy a property that could support grape cultivation. Former pro golfer and current golf analyst, Johnny Miller was trying to sell his 42 acre estate, and it looked like the perfect spot to start a small vineyard. In 1999 the Roys bought this property and began to imagine life as “farmers”. They dreamed of growing grapes and selling the produce to a wine maker somewhere.

With little experience or advice, they planted a few acres of vines. Just as the vines were beginning to sprout, Helen Turley (of Turley winery fame) began looking for a grape planting site of between 15 and 20 acres. The Roy property looked perfect and in 2001 she entered into an arrangement to plant and grow grapes there. Heley also convinced the Roys that the outstanding property would also make for an exceptional wine, Turley style. She tore up all the plants, scaffolding and irrigation the Roys had installed and started fresh with very specific ideas of root stock, grape varieties, row spacing and scaffolding and irrigation to custom create the vineyard.

It takes three years for grape shoots to become wine caliber grape producing vines. Their first vintage was 2004, which was about the time it took for the business relationship between the Roys and Turley to sour. Still not knowing much about wine making, in April 2005 they entered into a relationship with renowned winemaker, Philippe Melka. Philippe was born in the Bordeaux region of France. He earned degrees in geology and oenology and went on to work at Haut Brion (one of the first growth wines) , Petrus in Bordeaux, Badia a Coltibuono in Italy and Dominus and Ridge in California. He earned Food and Wine's “Winemaker of the Year” award in 2005. He believes in minimal manipulation during the wine making process and tries “finding the voice of the vineyard through its terroir”.

The vineyard has a stream in the middle of the rows and they have what they, jokingly, call the right and left banks; the right primarily producing grapes for a proprietary red blend and the left bank planted dominantly to cabernet sauvignon. The Roy's goal was producing a super premium wine and both wines consistently achieve very high (92+) points from Robert Parker and other leading wine critics. They produce about 1000 cases a year, all hand harvested with attention to detail. The Roys have installed three wind machines in the vineyard to avoid frost pockets.

I met with Shirley Roy for a luncheon at Daniel Boulud's DB Bistro in Manhattan in November. She brought an '06 Proprietary red and an '06 Cabernet Sauvignon. Both were intense, with dense dark cherry. The Proprietary red showed more dustiness, the Cab was dry with saturated dried currants. Both were delicious. I preferred the Cab. These wines aren't cheap. The Proprietary red retails for $110 and the Cab for $150. But when you compare these to many of the top tier Napa reds in their category, they are a bargain. And it is clear from the tasting these wines are very drinkable now but will age gracefully for a couple of decades, easily.

Charles Roy died unexpectedly last January in the hospital while recovering from a surgical procedure. After some time, people began asking Shirley what her plans for the vineyard would be. She told them, “This was not just Charles' dream. It was our dream together.” Roy Estate wines are sustainably farmed. The mission statement could be, “We believe in elegant red wines with finesse and ageability and natural low alcohol.” This winery has only seen seven harvests. It is still finding its way. There is every reason to believe Roy Estate will come to be mentioned with the very best California producers. Shirley is determined to carry on and continue to develop “their” dream.